Germany says will tell U.S. at G7 that the world needs its leadership

BARI, Italy (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday he would tell the U.S. Treasury Secretary that the world needs the United States’ leadership.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble arrives at the Petruzzelli Theatre during a G7 for Financial ministers in the southern Italian city of Bari, Italy May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

The new administration of President Donald Trump was the focus of comments by finance ministers entering a two-day meeting of the group of seven rich countries in Bari, Italy.

Schaeuble said his message to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would be that “we need a strong United States to lead the global economy and global politics on a sustainable way.”

Italian Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said Trump’s plan to slash taxes on businesses was “ambitions” and he would be watching to see how it affected U.S. growth. He added that he was “not worried” about its broader affects on the economy.